The Road to Roses

Heartbreak, Hope, and Finding Strength When Life Doesn't Go as Planned

By: Desiree Hartsock Siegfried, Autumn Krause

Narrated by: Desiree Siegfried

Length: 4 hrs and 36 mins

Publisher's summary

For anyone looking for a light in the darkness, The Road to Roses is a transformative guide to finding the strength to hold your head high, even when you're at your lowest. Whether your heart has been broken, your dream has been put on hold, or your character has been placed under the microscope, Desiree Hartsock Siegfried's story will give you the encouragement you need to keep going.

When Desiree joined the cast of Season 17 of The Bachelor, the world met a down-to-earth California girl looking for love. After watching her endure a painful rejection from Bachelor Sean Lowe, viewers cheered Desiree on as she became the next Bachelorette. Although audiences had a front row seat to Desiree's journey to find true love, what they couldn't see was how she deepened her faith along the way.

For the first time, Desiree is ready to share an up-close-and-personal look at her experience starring on The Bachelor and The Bachelorette, where she endured devastating heartache and went on to meet her now-husband Chris Siegfried—all in front of over four million viewers around the globe.

The Road to Roses is a never-before-seen look at Desiree's story, from the heartbreak to the healing. Within the minutes of The Road to Roses, Desiree also shares valuable life lessons she's learned about:

• Brokenness, vulnerability, and the power of sharing your story
• Fully trusting God with your life, no matter what it holds for you
• Falling in love with yourself first
• Staying open to love and trust even through the ache of heartbreak, loneliness, and criticism
• Navigating marriage and motherhood under the scrutiny of social media
• Following your passions and embracing the journey of entrepreneurship

Desiree's story is an honest look at how she found the strength and courage to keep going, even in her darkest moments—and how you can, too.

©2021 Desiree Hartsock Siegfried and Autumn Krause (P)2021 Zondervan

Critic reviews

"Desiree's story is a beautiful testament of God's grace and his ability to give us beauty for our ashes. The Road to Roses takes us on a journey of identity and ultimately reveals God's unending faithfulness in each and every season." (Mariela Rosario, founder of She Speaks Fire Ministries)

"Desiree's honest voice and engaging story will captivate you with each turn of the page. With her desire to be true to who she is—who God made her to be—she navigated the spotlight. Through her story you will learn how to unpack the lies the world has told you so that you too can write your own fairy tale through the life you are living every single day. She invites you to live boldly, love hard, and follow the call that God has for your one beautiful life." (Jenna Kutcher, host of the Goal Digger podcast)

guest reader?

why does it sound like someone else reading chapter 13?! that's throwing me off! so far I've really enjoyed the book!

Blessing in my life - LOVED IT!

Truly a beautiful book. I downloaded it on Audible and heard it in one day! I couldn’t stop listening to it. God knew I needed to hear this, such biblical truths in those chapters. I could relate to Des in being in relationships with guys who give me breadcrumbs, not seeing myself the way God sees me, and learning to put my full trust in Jesus. I’m still a work in progress, but this book was God-sent and something I needed to hear. Amazing job Des and Autumn. You’re light in the darkness and this book will be a blessing to many just as it was to me. 🌹

Great book, weird narration issues

The book itself was awesome! I have nothing negative to say about it other than a few grammatical errors. I really enjoyed listening to Des’ story and I appreciated her vulnerability. It’s really good to hear details behind the scenes to help remind you that what you see on the show is definitely not the whole story. I loved Des’ testimony and journey of faith—she is definitely brave to pronounce her faith so boldly in such a harsh and critical society, especially when she is known for being a part of a secular reality TV show. (Her season was really sweet though—definitely one of my favorites!) There were lots of takeaways for the reader as well about how anonymous harsh comments online can have a lasting impact on the person about whom they were made. I definitely have new respect for her and wish her and her beautiful family the very best!

My issue was with the quality of the recording—the first 12 chapters are fine, but at chapter 13, her voice gets distorted to a chipmunk like quality that is so distracting that it made it very difficult to take her seriously. I don’t know what happened there, but you’d think it would have been caught in editing. I feel bad for her because it definitely takes away from your ability to just focus on the book and her message. I hope they get it fixed and release a new version! (Hint, hint, Zondervan!)

Loved it!

A little audio problems here and there and I’m pretty sure a new voice picked up during the middle but other than that it was beautifully done. I appreciated hearing Desiree’s story and how she added her faith in the mix. It inspires me to share my faith with others too.

A bit heavy on religion, but overall enjoyable.

I really liked learning about Desiree's experiences as the Bachelorette. I was sad to hear about her troubles with Chris, but she seems super genuine.

Wonderful

Loved this book! I have been a fan from the show for a long time, and it was nice to get a glimpse into the real world of the author. It was authentic and fun to listen to.

Light and easy

I enjoyed hearing about the behind the scenes of The Bachelorette and learning more about Desiree’s life. A few times she clearly used improper grammar, which I found distracting but overall it was a nice book.